U.S. patent application number 11/574150 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-17 for potting process for membrane filtration modules.
Invention is credited to Eugene Kedziora.
Application Number | 20080011675 11/574150 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35967109 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080011675 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kedziora; Eugene |
January 17, 2008 |
POTTING PROCESS FOR MEMBRANE FILTRATION MODULES
Abstract
A process for potting porous hollow membranes (5) including the
steps of: providing a potting mould (6) having details (8) formed
in its surface to allow co-operation with other components;
positioning ends of the membranes in the mould (6); filling the
mould (6) with potting material (9); allowing the potting material
(9) to at least partially cure; and removing the pot formed from
the potting material (9) from the mould (6). A filtration module
including a pot formed by the process is also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Kedziora; Eugene; (New South
Wales, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SIEMENS CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
170 WOOD AVENUE SOUTH
ISELIN
NJ
08830
US
|
Family ID: |
35967109 |
Appl. No.: |
11/574150 |
Filed: |
August 23, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
August 23, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/AU05/01265 |
371 Date: |
February 23, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
210/500.23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01D 65/00 20130101;
B01D 63/022 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
210/500.23 |
International
Class: |
B01D 63/02 20060101
B01D063/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 23, 2004 |
AU |
2004904791 |
Claims
1. A process for potting porous hollow membranes comprising the
steps of: providing a potting mould having details formed in its
surface to allow co-operation with other components; positioning
ends of said membranes in said mould; filling said mould with
potting material; allowing said potting material to at least
partially cure; and removing pot formed from said potting material
from said mould.
2. A potting process according to claim 1 wherein said other
components include elements for mounting said membranes.
3. A potting process according to claim 1 wherein said other
components include elements for fluid communication with said
membranes.
4. A potting process for forming a pot including potting material
to sealingly support hollow porous membranes in a filtration module
wherein the pot forms a barrier between a feed side and a filtrate
side of said membranes and wherein no element forming part of the
module is required to retain the potting material.
5. A filtration module comprising a pot including potting material
to sealingly support hollow porous membranes in said filtration
module wherein the pot forms a barrier between a feed side and a
filtrate side of said membranes and wherein no element forming part
of the module is required to retain the potting material.
6. A filtration module according to claim 5 wherein in said pot
includes details formed in its surface to allow co-operation with
other components.
7. A potting process according to claim 6 wherein said other
components include elements for mounting said membranes.
8. A potting process according to claim 6 wherein said other
components include elements for fluid communication with said
membranes.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a potting process and a pot
formed thereby and more particularly to a process and a pot for
potting membranes used in filtration systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Known potting systems pot the ends of the membranes, usually
hollow fibres, in potting material surrounded by a plastic or nylon
potting sleeve which is used to retain the potting material as well
as provide formations for connection to other element such as
headers, manifolds, piping and the like. These formations can take
the form of threads, slots, grooves, flanges and the like.
[0003] One problem found in most filtration systems is that
connections between various components of the system, which are not
totally sealed, can lead to ingress of contaminated material, which
in turn can lead to unwanted contamination of the filtrate.
[0004] This problem can manifest itself in the potting arrangement
described above where there is not a tight seal between the potting
sleeve and the potting material.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to overcome or
ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or
to provide a useful alternative.
[0006] According to the present invention there is provided a
process for potting porous hollow membranes including the steps
of:
[0007] providing a potting mould having details formed in its
surface to allow co-operation with other components;
[0008] positioning ends of said membranes in said mould;
[0009] filling said mould with potting material;
[0010] allowing said potting material to at least partially cure;
and
[0011] removing pot formed from said potting material from said
mould.
[0012] According to another aspect, the present invention provides
a potting process for forming a pot including potting material to
sealingly support hollow porous membranes in a filtration module
wherein the pot forms a barrier between a feed side and a filtrate
side of said membranes and wherein no element forming part of the
module is required to retain the potting material.
[0013] According to another aspect, the present invention provides
a filtration module comprising a pot including potting material to
sealingly support hollow porous membranes in said filtration module
wherein the pot forms a barrier between a feed side and a filtrate
side of said membranes and wherein no element forming part of the
module is required to retain the potting material.
[0014] Preferably, the pot includes details formed in its surface
to allow co-operation with other components. For preference, the
other components include elements for mounting the membranes and/or
for fluid communication with the membranes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be
described, by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional elevation view of the
prior art form of potting mould presently used; and
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a similar view to FIG. 1 of the potting mould
to be used with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings the known potting method
consists of loading a bundle of membranes 5 into a mould 6
containing a potting sleeve 7 having details such as grooves 8 for
co-operation with other system components. Potting material 9 is
then introduced around the membrane bundle (or vice versa) to
thereby creating the pot.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 2 showing an embodiment of the potting
method according to the invention, the mould 6 does not contain the
sleeve 7 and the required details 8 are formed directly into the
surface of the mould 6. The potting material 9 is contained by the
mould 6 which may have details 8 in its surface such that the
potting material 9 takes the negative shape of the mould 6. In this
way the details 8 shaped directly on the outside of the pot may be
used for connection to other flow, mounting or associated
components. An insert (not shown) may be inserted into one of the
details 8 to form a protrusion in the mould 6 to provide increased
strength to the pot at selected critical points.
[0020] The removal of the potting sleeve provides savings in
componentry while also avoiding the interface problems between the
sleeve and the pot which may lead to contamination of filtrate.
[0021] It will be appreciated that further embodiments and
exemplifications of the invention are possible without departing
from the spirit or scope of the invention described.
* * * * *